Uncompromising German Engineering
 

Rohloff hubs. http://www.rohloff.de

Check out this video (no sound)

http://www.rohloff.de/en/download/video/mix/speedhub_production/index.html

Absolutely!!! 14 speeds in a bike hub. Nobody but Germans could ever hope to pull it off.

They recommend an oil change every 3000 miles. :)

Darn things are $1k each too.

Shamwows are also made in Germany. Think of it.

These hubs seem to be reasonably popular with certain recumbent bike and trike owners.

The main advantage is that it can be shifted between gears while stopped, has evenly spaced gears, and on 20" wheel bikes/trikes, avoids having a derailleur cage that clears the ground by about 1-2", which can be a bit sticky on off-road rides. (But if you are using more than one chain ring in front, you will need a derailleur-like rear tensioner to take up chain slack, which eliminates this advantage).

The big downsides are cost, complexity/weight penalty, noise in some gears, and about a 4% decrease in efficiency. Also, with fatter rear tires, the rear wheel may need to be 'dished' diffferently, and is sometimes a bit less strong than a non-Rohlof wheel. Finally, getting it serviced or repaired on a bike tour is a problem. Local bike shops can do at least a half-a$$ed job repairing/adjusting derailleur systems, but usually have never seen a Rohlof.

The 'other' German gearing innovation is the internally planetary geared Schlump drives, http://www.schlumpf.ch/antriebe_engl.htm which have a single gear ring in front, with internal selection of a different gear range. This has many of the same advantages/disadvantages as the Rohlof rear hub system, but allows the equivalent of 2 front chain rings with no need for a front derailleur - front gear change is done by hitting the button in the center of the crankset with the heel of your shoe.

http://www.ice.hpv.co.uk/trikes/gears.htm

Does anyone know why Germans over engineer most things?
Is there some national unspoken rule ?

The 4% decrease in efficiency is vs. a perfectly tuned derailleur system. To me that's hardly noticeable when you're pedaling for fun and not for speed. Rohloffs don't belong on a race bike, but for plain old riding they can't be beat. When my derailleur system wears out on my cargo bike I'm gonna go with a Rohloff.

I don't know why Germans overengineer things, but I like German products. :)

The Germans over engineer stuff, because it keeps them in their workshop with their tools and their beer, and most importantly, away from their wives.